Name of the Week

A genial Scottish favourite
with a longstanding royal heritage. 

 

Origin:

Malcolm is a name of Scottish origin meaning "disciple of Columba". The original Scots Gaelic form was Máel Coluim. Máel in Old Gaelic (Old Irish) — derived from the Proto-Celtic *mailo-s "bald" — originally had the meaning of "bald, shaved, tonsured person". In the pre-Christian era this would most likely have referred to a slave, but after Christianity would commonly have referred to a tonsured monk. The ritual shaving of the crown of the head was the first ceremony used for devoting a person to the service of God and the church. It therefore came to be used to refer to a person who was devoted to, or a disciple or follower of, God or a specific saint.  Saint Columba was one of the most influential saints of both medieval Ireland and Scotland so a name with a meaning of "follower of Columba" would have been an auspicious one.

Usage:

Malcolm has a rich history of use in Scotland, dating back to at least the 10th century. One of the earliest recorded bearers is Malcolm I, king of the Scots (King of Alba) from 943 to 54. Three more Scottish kings bearing the name would follow in subsequent generations. He was known at the time by the name Máel Coluim mac Domnaill. The name also features in the earliest known Scottish charter from the reign of King Duncan 1094 as "Norman filius Malcolumbe" The early Scots Gaelic form was Máel Coluim, which by the 13th century became Maol Chaluim and latinised as Malcolmus. The Paradox of Medieval Scotland (1093-1286) Database has record of over a hundred Scottish men, including kings, several notable earls, archdeacons, knights and clerks, all bearing the name Malcolm from the 11th to 13th century. This shows it to be one of the most popular 'Scottish' names in Scotland at that time — in an age where standard Norman names such as William, Richard, Robert and John were prevalent — and, intriguingly, even more popular than the name Columba (later Callum) itself. There are a few examples in England during this period also; Reaney and Wilson found a Malculum in Shropshire in 1192, and Maukolum in Hampshire in 1207 though they are understandably nowhere near as prevalent as in Scottish records.  From the 15th century onwards the spellings Malcolm, Malcolme, Malcome, Malcum and Malcom became standard. It is from the 16th century that the surname Malcolm came into use. Though the name was still in regular use in the 16th century, it was not so prolific as it had been prior to that time. This was the case, on the whole, with most Scots Gaelic names, the preference being for Norman and biblical names such as John, William, Robert, James, Thomas, Andrew, David and Alexander. Several more examples of the name, however, can be found in the 17th and, particularly, 18th and 19th century. The UK census lists 3,284 males named Malcolm in 1841 (96% in Scotland, 4% in England) and 4,383 in 1861 (92% Scotland, 8% England). As Victorian Englishmen became fascinated with Scottish culture, so they began to adopt the names. In 1881 there were 6,649 (83% Scotland, 17% England) and 8,686 (73% Scotland, 26% England, 1% Wales) in 1901, showing that Malcolm was becoming more popular both sides of the border.  In Scotland, Malcolm remained popular throughout the 20th century. It ranked #37 in 1900, #43 in 1950 and #55 in 1975 — showing remarkably little change in 75 years.  In England and Wales, Malcolm ranked #180 in both 1880 and 1890 and #195 in 1900. During the first half of the 20th century, however, Scotland became the most significant source for popular boys' names in England and Wales, and other English-speaking countries. By 1924 there were the likes of Kenneth, Leslie, Donald, Roy, Gordon, Graham, Colin, Ian, Keith and Douglas in the Top 100, later joined by Malcolm, Stuart and Neil.  Malcolm broke into the Top 100 in England and Wales sometime between 1924 and 1934. From not ranking in the Top 100 at all in 1924, it was all the way up to #46 in 1934; rising to #24 in 1944 and #31 in 1954. It fell to #65 in 1964 and #89 in 1974, leaving the Top 100 thereafter. In 1996 Malcolm ranked #472 with 39 births. It fell in popularity from that point on, fluctuating between its highest rank of #891 (25 births) in 2005 and its lowest of #1889 (6 births) in 2000.  Though the name has also seen an overall decline in popularity in Scotland, it is still comparitively more popular there (considering population size) than elsewhere in the UK. From a rank of #302 (8 births) in 2005 the name has had a birth count of between 5 (2007, rank #431) and 12 (2009, rank #295) every year since.

Famous Bearers:

History:  * Malcolm I (c.900—954), King of Scotland c.943–954.  * Máel Coluim (Malcolm) I of Strathclyde, ruler of the Kingdom of Strathclyde from 973-997. * Malcolm II (d. 1034), King of Scotland from 1004–1034.  * Malcolm III (1031—1093), King of Scotland from 1058–1093. * Malxolm IV (1141—1165), King of Scotland from 1153–1165. * Sir Malcolm Sargent (1895—1967), British conductor, organist and composer. * Malcolm Cowley (1898–1989), American novelist, poet, literary critic, and journalist. * Malcolm Lowry (1909–1957), English poet and novelist. Contemporary: * Malcolm Arnold (1921–2003), British composer. * Malcolm Fraser (b. 1930), an Australian Prime Minister. * Malcolm McLaren (1946–2010), British musician and producer of the Sex Pistols.  Literature and Other Media: * Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland, a character in Shakespeare's Macbeth. * Malcolm (1959), a comic novel by James Purdy. * Malcolm Wilkerson, the main character of Malcolm in the Middle, a television sitcom.

Variants:

Máel Coluim (Scot Gaelic)

Pronunciation:

MAL-cəm [key]

Possible diminutives:

Cal, Cam, Colm, Mac, Mal, Mally, Malcy

Sibling Names:

Bridget     Elspeth     Kathryn     Nancy     Fiona     Susanna  Fraser     Alistair     Patrick     Gregor    Finlay     Duncan

Name Lists:

Funky-Clunky    Cosy Celtic    Victorian Darlings    Shakespearean Names   Operatic Appellations    .Harry Potter Names

 

If you like Malcolm you may also like:   Callan, Maxwell, Douglas, Lachlan, Murray, Graham, Declan, Scott, Kenneth, Stuart

 

Thanks to Diana for requesting Malcolm.